Fairview High School and Mayer Middle School welcomed Veterans to the campus today to recognize and honor them for Veterans Day. 

Students invited family members who served in the Armed Forces for a special breakfast in the cafeteria to start the morning. Members of the FHS Orchestra provided music for all to enjoy. It was a great time for our guests to make new friends while spending time with their families.

Notes written by students at FHS/MMS, thanking veterans for their service and patriotism, lined the hallway to the gymnasium. This display was in addition to numerous red, white, and blue paper chains hanging from the ceiling.

After breakfast, the entire 6-12 campus gathered in the FHS gymnasium for a special Veterans Day ceremony. The student-led assembly featured patriotic performances from the Middle School Concert Choir, the Fairview High School Band, and the FHS Chorale. The students who spoke at the assembly were related to Veterans in attendance.

Guest speaker Michael “Mick” Munoz (Marines) spoke to students about the importance of celebrating and honoring veterans today and every day. A moment of silence and the playing of Echo Taps were especially poignant moments during the assembly.

“Veterans Day is a time to honor the bravery, sacrifice, and selflessness of those who have served our country,” Campus Principal Chris Vicha said. “By holding this assembly, we give our students the opportunity to pause and reflect on the freedoms we often take for granted and to recognize the courage that makes those freedoms possible.”

To begin their school day, students at Gilles-Sweet Elementary welcomed special guests from American Legion Post 738 for a special flag-raising ceremony at the front of the school. Veterans spoke to students about the importance of the school as it was named after two veterans from World War I: Frederick A. Gilles and John H. Sweet. 

After the ceremony, students and guests gathered in the cafeteria for donuts and refreshments. After a brief presentation by the American Legion, students had the opportunity to speak directly with veterans. Fifth-grade students had the opportunity to sit down and interview veterans about their service and time in the Armed Forces.

"Students interviewed veterans with a series of questions that they took turns at their table," Gilles-Sweet Principal Matt Krivak explained. "They asked about their service, what it was like to be in whatever branch of the military they were in, what they ate - those kind of questions."

At the conclusion of the event, members of the American Legion took all the artwork and letters with them to share with other veterans at Post 738.

"I hope the students took away a new sense of appreciation for what it means to be a veteran and to serve our country," Krivak added. "It's one thing to talk about and learn about in class. But once you see these folks coming in, they realize these are the people they've been talking about. It helps represent the importance of their service to the country. Hopefully, it will continue for future generations."